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Gauntlet (Dark Riders) (Earth-616)
, formerly (lesser member) | Relatives = | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = | Gender = Male | Height = | Weight = | Eyes = | Hair = | UnusualFeatures = Green skin and long, spiny fangs teeth, and his eye is covered with a targeting device. | Citizenship = Attilan | MaritalStatus = | Occupation = | Education = | Origin = Inhuman powered by Terrigenesis and altered by Apocalypse | PlaceOfBirth = | Creators = Jim Lee; Whilce Portacio; Chris Claremont | First = X-Factor Vol 1 65 | Death = Uncanny X-Men Vol 4 5 | HistoryText = The early life and origin of the villain known as Gauntlet remains unclear. He was an original recruit of the Riders of the Storm, and he remained with the team throughout its existence. He fought X-Factor in Manhattan and the Inhumans on the Moon on behalf of Apocalypse. When Stryfe defeated Apocalypse in combat, Gauntlet and the Dark Riders joined his cause. They battled the X-Teams on the moon, and nearly killed Apocalypse himself in a prolonged battle. After Stryfe's death, Gauntlet and the Dark Riders began freelance hunting unfit mutants and executing them for not being among the strong. Gauntlet thought he executed the weak mutant hypnotist Mesmero, but it was later revealed that Mesmero only tricked Gauntlet into believing he had. According to Mesmero's recollections of the events, he managed to fool Gauntlet into thinking he had killed him. In actuality, Mesmero was able to reach out and take over his mind. He instructed Gauntlet to fire past away from Mesmero's actual position, convinced the man that he had actually killed Mesmero, and told him to take his dreary little friends and leave the apartment. Which he did. Gauntlet was through with Mesmero, but Mesmero was not through with Gauntlet. Mesmero kept concentrating and managed to extend his influence on the mind of the "stupid man" for months. He used this power to torment his would-be killer. He made Gauntlet step in front of oncoming traffic, caused him to buy shoes that he did not really need, and had him start overeating until Gauntlet gained 50 pounds (22.68 kilograms) in additional weight. He only let go of Gauntlet when he got bored with the game. The experience changed Mesmero's outlook on himself and his powers. He had realized that he was much like a virus, able to infect minds and stay in them until he himself provided the cure . Gauntlet was the only founding member of the Dark Riders, excluding the non-combatant Hard-Drive, who stayed active with the new team led by Genesis. He was also the only Rider who escaped Wolverine's wrath when the others were butchered by him. Gauntlet rejoined most of the founding Dark Riders under the leadership of Stryfe, but he again escaped death when others were killed. Gauntlet was later hired in secret by Blaquesmith to hunt down Apocalypse when the villain was bodily merged with Cyclops, only to find Apocalypse killed when Phoenix rescued Cyclops from the merger. Gauntlet did not reveal to Cable the identity of his client. | Powers = The full details of Gauntlet's powers remain unclear, although clearly his physiology has been affected, granting him green skin and long, spiny teeth. Gauntlet has always appeared with various weaponry such as high-tech lasers, machine guns, and rocket launchers, and his eye is covered with a targeting device. Whether such equipment is related to his power remains unknown. | Abilities = | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = *Mesmero has theorized that Gauntlet is an obsessive fan of the film The Gauntlet (1977) and has named himself after the film. | Links = }}